I've been looking into getting a new phone and I currently have MetroPCS, I was looking on their website and it looks like for a decent phone I'll be spending about $100-$150. I looked into switching to T-Mobile to see which would be cheaper. I'm currently paying $50 at Metro for unlimited. The phones I've seen through T-Mobile were much better than the ones at Metro, and T-Mobile has a thing going on where you pay so much up front, then they just add like an extra $20 to your monthly bill, depending on the phone you choose, and the plans are very similar. Plus I have a 15% discount off my monthly bill for working at Walmart. So I'm really seriously considering switching to T-Mobile. The phones I have chosen are the iPhone 5c, Sony Xperia Z, HTC One, and the Samsung Galaxy SIII. I have never had an iPhone before, so I'm not sure how it is. I've always had Android. So I was thinking maybe posting and reviewing/comparing and seeing what would be best. As of right now, my top choices are between the iPhone 5c and the Xperia Z. What do you guys think?? Any advice or info will be appreciated. Thanks!

Re: Choosing new phone/carrier - Advice?

Hi Jayy129,

First of all, let's separate these four smartphones into two categories.

Both the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC One are "flagship" phones, meaning that they pack high-end hardware.

On the other hand, neither the iPhone 5C nor the Samsung Galaxy SIII are flagship devices. The iPhone 5C has been released recently, but it's a budget-alternative to the iPhone 5s and as such, it lacks certain features, such as the fingerprint scanner. It also doesn't benefit from Apple's latest A7 processor. In fact, the iPhone 5C is nothing more than an iPhone 5 (now discontinued) re-bundled in a plastic case, instead of the original aluminum one. As for the Samsung Galaxy SIII, this handset has been a flagship device last year, but due to the technology moving forward and the Galaxy S4 hitting the scene, the SIII is now a mid-range smartphone by default.

As such, if you're willing to buy a flagship smartphone, then you only need to consider the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC One. Out of these two devices, I'd say that the HTC One is the more powerful, thanks to its Snapdragon 600 processor (instead of the Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU of the Xperia Z). The HTC One also comes with more storage (32 GB minimum, as opposed to 16 GB) but on the other hand, it lacks a microSD card slot, whereas the Xperia Z has one.

The Xperia Z promises a better main camera than the One, and the device is also waterproof. But, the HTC One is beautifully built as well, and delivers premium design.

Another aspect that you need to consider is the fact that, while both the Xperia Z and the HTC One have Full HD resolution displays (1080 x 1920), the Xperia makes use of TFT technology, as opposed to One's Super LCD3. I can tell you first hand, that despite the impressive technologies implemented by Sony to make TFT better, viewing angles are still not up to par with other displays.

In any case, I believe that you should visit a store and compare these two smartphones with your own hands. The software differs as well, and despite the fact that both smartphones come with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, both Sony and HTC are using custom user interfaces. It's a matter of choice.